Metaphor

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Metaphors were common quotations, figures of speech, usually offering a piece of wisdom in reference to a present situation. Idioms had phrasing that had figurative meaning often unrelated to the actual phrasing, while proverbs were commonly sourced from folklore, historical allusion, or tribal memories.

That same year, Janeway, who was working very late one night in the mess hall, told Neelix that she was "just burning the midnight oil", to which Neelix replied that it was way past midnight. (VOY: "Fair Haven")

In an alternate timeline in 2364, CaptainJean-Luc Picard ordered Miles O'Brien to bypass the secondary plasma inducer, which required O'Brien to realign the entire power grid, stating "we're all going to be burning the midnight oil on this one." Data, who overheard O'Brien, told him that that would be inadvisable because any "attempt to ignite a petroleum product on this ship at 0:00 hours [would] activate the fire suppression system." (TNG: "All Good Things...")

In 2372, B'Elanna Torres described establishing communication with a duplicate of the USS Voyager by getting them to recalibrate their comm frequency carrier wave before they'd first made contact as "the chicken and the egg." (VOY: "Deadlock")

In 2369, when Q brought back Picard to the incident at Starbase Earhart in 2327, he told him (acting as a bartender): "Penny for your thoughts? You never told me you were such a lady's man," also jokingly referring to Picard's unsuccessful date with Penny Muroc. (TNG: "Tapestry")

"Stone knives and bearskins" was a colorful term employed by Spock to describe the 1930stechnology he was forced to use to construct a tricorder interface. Vital information was locked within Spock's tricorder: How had Leonard McCoy changed history? Spock was eventually able to construct an appropriate circuit, but retrieved two separate recordings: one in which Edith Keeler lived, and one in which she died. At that point, the improvised interface erupted in sparks and flame, ruining his chance to learn which of the recordings represented McCoy's alteration, and which the correct timeline. (TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever")

"Wash my hands of it" is an expression used to avert a wrong decision, claiming that the person can not be held responsible for it. It comes from the Bible, and was said by Pilate after he sentenced Jesus Christ to crucifixion, for the push of the crowd, however he saw he was apparently innocent.

In 2367, Data told DoctorBeverly Crusher, that he "could be chasing an untamed ornithoid without a cause," describing this idiom, when examining the clues of AmbassadorT'Pel's presumed death. Crusher eventually recognized the idiom, and corrected him with its common form. (TNG: "Data's Day")

Finding a second wind meant regaining energy after a certain activity had gotten tired.

During a 2153 engine test aboard Enterprise, field fluctuations dropped to zero, which lead captain Archer to suggest that they had gotten their second wind. That impression was incorrect. (ENT: "Similitude")